September 19, 2009

"If I Didn't Care"

"If I Didn't Care" is a song written by Jack Lawrence that was originally sung and recorded by The Ink Spots in 1939. According to Lawrence he mailed the song before showing it to some of his friends. His friends' reaction to the song was almost universally negative, but he remained positive on it and later it became one of his biggest successes. The song in its original form sold over 19 million copies on the Decca record label, becoming one of the biggest-selling singles of all time.

In the 1950s both The Hilltoppers and Connie Francis charted with the song and in 1974 a version was recorded by David Cassidy. Another notable cover came from The Platters. The song was also covered by Madness for their 1999 album Wonderful.

The song appeared in the film Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, sung by the actors Amy Adams and Lee Pace. The Ink Spots' recording was used on the soundtracks of the films Radio Days, The Shawshank Redemption and the television series The Wonder Years. It has also appeared in the video game Bioshock, and the teaser trailer for The Strangers.

It was named to the Grammy Hall of Fame and was number 271 on the Songs of the Century list.